Diario de emilylujan

I would have to go far and to a public place to find an area that's even 'somewhat natural,' and due to covid-19, I can't really go anywhere. So for now, let's give landscaping some credit. My theme for this walk is plants. I have been going on a lot of walks around my neighborhood, and these are some of my favorite plants to see. Obviously these plants are cultivated since they are in people's front yards, but I made sure to note that. Many of these plants do not require a lot of water, fitting for the Southern California landscape. They are very vibrant and it was a nice contrast to the greys and browns from winter. And of course, I had to include the palm trees that line the streets. It was really hot today, a high of 82 degrees, but the sun felt really good and I almost couldn't believe the cold I had felt back in Massachusetts less than 2 months ago. Also, I know it's not a plant, but I just had to include an observation I made of a caterpillar I saw during one of my walks last month. It was super cute and I just thought it should be included. It might be a butterfly now, I hope it's okay.

The weather was so nice in the 60s so I decided to walk to work. This is a similar route to the one I took before on my last nature walk, but this one was so much better! There was already much more greenery compared to the vast brown scene I observed just a few weeks before. I didn't see many animals but I encountered a variety of plants including some cute little ones that looked like succulents. The warmth of the sun in the 60 degree weather was also much more favorable than the stinging cold of 20 degree weather. I can't wait to see the changes that come with spring!

On Friday I walked by the Hammond Pond Reservation. I was on my way to the mall (which is a 30 minute walk!) so I thought I'd take the opportunity to check out some of the wildlife in the reservation on the way. It is still winter so it was really cold out. At one point I got so cold my hands were bright red and numb as I took pictures! Most of the plants were dead and there weren't any animals out. The few bits of green among the dried out dead plants included some moss on rocks. There were many pine trees, one of the only trees with any green during this season. There was also what looked like some kind of vine on some tree trunks. There were definitely slim pickings, and the weather wasn't very nice, but it was fun trying to find organisms to identify with the snap of a picture!